Untitled
by bonesobsessed
Summary: Song Fic inspired by Another Auld Lang Syne by Dan Folgeberg. Depressing and angsty but what can I say?


AN: This idea has been running around my head for a while. Song fic inspired by Another Auld Lang Syne by Dan Folgeberg. Angsty and sad, I know but what can I say?

Disclaimer: Sadly enough I do not own Bones.

Booth did a double take when he saw that familiar profile at the end of the aisle. He was picking up a few last minute items for tomorrow's dinner. He debated whether or not to approach her. She'd been well-known during the years they worked together and the years since had turned her into a full-fledged celebrity.

_Met my old lover In the grocery store_

_The snow was falling Christmas Eve_

_I stole behind her in the frozen foods_

And I touched her on the sleeve

Brennan's head snapped up at the sound of name and a familiar voice. She gaped at the sight of Booth standing close enough to touch. Brennan had imagined seeing him so many times before she wasn't sure if he was real. When he reverted to her old nickname she knew for certain it was really him. She'd almost forgotten what a genuine smile could feel like.

_She didn't recognize the face at first_

_But then her eyes flew open wide_

_She went to hug me and she spilled her purse_

_And we laughed until we cried_

Brennan rolled her eyes at Booth's insistence on escorting her through the store and to her car. He never did like her going places alone. She realized in that moment how much she had missed his protectiveness. She hadn't felt this safe since she left the Jeffersonian all those years ago.

_We took her groceries to the check-out stand_

_The food was totaled up and bagged_

_We stood there lost in our embarrassment_

_As the conversation dragged_

It had been so long since they'd talked…neither one was ready to part yet. The holidays were a busy time. Booth was especially busy with family and work. Brennan was scheduled to fly out the day after Christmas. She was in DC to visit the Hodgins' brood, which now consisted of Jack, Angela and their five children (six come summer). They kept in touch by phone and e-mail but hadn't met in person in almost as many years as Booth and Brennan. They couldn't find a bar open that late on Christmas Eve so they grabbed a pack at the store and huddled into Brennan's rental car.

Ten years had gone by since they last worked together. Ten years since she accepted a job offer and left the Jeffersonian. They had parted with well-intentioned promises to keep in touch and visit regularly. Brennan didn't manage to get back to DC until she received a wedding invitation a few years later. Her publisher had some big event planned for the same weekend but she'd told them to cancel it. There was no way she could miss her former partner's wedding.

_We went to have ourselves a drink or two_

_But couldn't find an open bar_

_We bought a six-pack at the liquor store_

_And we drank it in her car_

_We drank a toast to innocence_

_We drank a toast to now_

_And tried to reach beyond the emptiness_

_But neither one knew how_

Brennan choked out a question about Kimberly (she still couldn't believe he'd married a Kimberly). Booth's eyes were warm when he said she was good. Their second child together was due in February.

So much remained unspoken between the pair. Booth would never know Brennan accepted the job because she could no longer deal with the overwhelming attachment she had for her partner. Brennan would never know Booth still considered her the love of his life. Yes, he loved his wife, but it would be dishonest to say he cared for her the way he had for Brennan. What he had now was a different sort of love, grown out of a desire for companionship and family. The little girl with bouncing brown curls and the little boy on the way guaranteed he didn't regret the choice.

_She said she married her an architect_

_Who kept her warm and safe and dry_

_She would have like to say she loved the man_

_But she didn't like to lie_

Booth, of course, wanted to know if she had finally found love. Brennan denied the validity of love in her usual fashion. She had had three relationships last longer than a year since leaving DC. The most serious of them fell apart soon after her trip to DC for Booth's wedding.

Booth couldn't stop himself from staring. She didn't look any older to him than she had ten years ago at the airport. Brennan found herself getting lost in his familiar brown eyes. Eyes so full of warmth and comfort she wanted to cry. She hadn't found anything or anyone who could even come close to comparing to Booth. Brennan was not a woman who believed in regret…still…she couldn't help but wonder (not for the first time) what kind of life they could have built together. Would they have their own little girl with blue eyes rather than brown?

I said the years had been a friend to her

_And that her eyes were still as blue_

_But in those eyes I wasn't sure if I saw_

_Doubt or gratitude_

Brennan smiled graciously when Booth mentioned having seen her latest book. Once again at the top of the best-seller's list, of course. He gave her a playful nudge when complaining about the actor cast to play Andy. Brennan could no longer convince even herself that the character wasn't based on Booth. The books and movies kept her traveling but not for the purpose she loved. She hadn't examined a _real_ skeleton in almost a year.

_She said she saw me in the record stores_

_And that I must be doing well_

_I said the audience was heavenly_

_But the traveling was hell_

_We drank a toast to innocence_

_We drank a toast to now_

_And tried to reach beyond the emptiness_

_But neither one knew how_

_We drank a toast to innocence_

_We drank a toast to time_

_Reliving in our eloquence_

_Another Auld Lang Syne…_

A quick glance at his watch told Booth his wife would be wondering what took so long. "Santa" still had to visit that night, after all. They sat, gazes locked, in one of what used to be "their" moments. The six pack Booth had purchased was gone. He knew it was past time he should be leaving. Sitting here with her like this, so much like old times, was bittersweet at best. When he finally managed to say goodbye and reach for the door handle, a halting voice and gentle touch on his arm stopped his progress. Brennan wished him a soft Merry Christmas before placing a brief kiss on his cheek. The skin on his cheek flamed where her lips made contact. It was definitely time to leave, before the temptation became too much and he did something he would regret.

_The beer was empty and our tongues were tired_

_And running out of things to say_

_She gave a kiss to me as I got out_

_And I watched her drive away_

Watching the taillights disappear down the road Booth drifted back to the last Christmas they were partners. Their last Christmas was a year after Caroline's blackmail scheme. That year Booth kissed her for real…no manipulation, no scheming…but there was mistletoe. He beat himself up over that kiss for a year after she left. It had been the catalyst that sent her running. Booth shivered a bit at the biting air then turned his face up with a small laugh. Snow had been falling softly all day but now, now when he blinked back the tears burning the back of his eyes, now it rained.

_Just for a moment I was back at school_

_And I felt that old familiar pain_

_And as I turned to make my way back home_

_The snow turned into rain._


End file.
